Five Letter Boy Names

While it looks like a creative respelling of the ubiquitous Aidan, Aydin has Turkish roots and means "intelligent." While there will most certainly be issues with spelling, those attracted to the Turkish lineage can be assured of a smooth path to assimilation due to the current popularity of soundalike names. The name is spelled with an ı (dotless i) in Turkish.

Derived from the Latin lilium, Lírio is a unisex floral name which was used for a witch character in the cult 1996 horror film The Craft.

This bold choice soared in popularity from 2008 to 2013, and now seems to have plateaued. But watch out—the character Major Major Major Major in the classic absurdist novel Catch-22 had a terrible time.

As a masculine name, Gauri is Finnish in origin and derives from Gabriel.

The Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast frequently name their children after the day of the week they were born and the order in which they were born. Most Ghanaians have a name using this system (think Kofi Annan, whose name means born on a Friday).

Taron and its twin Taran may both be variations of Taranis, the name of the Celtic thunder god. Taranis is thought to be a counterpart to the better-known Norse god Thor. There was also a 7th century King of the Picts named Taran mac Ainftech. Both Taron and Taran were used for about 30 baby boys in the US last year. Two notable modern bearers: Welsh actor Taron Egerton and South African-born filmmaker Taron Lexton.

A play on the spelling of Isaac that's somehow been in the Top 1000 every year since 1880. (If only by a hair: In both 1926 and 1962, it came in at number 999.) It hit an all-time peak at Number 377 in 2007, and has slumped a fair bit in the ensuing decade.

Naming a child Cornelius or Nelson feels increasingly ahead of the curve in today's vintage name-loving climate. But keep Nelly for a nickname (even the rap star was christened Cornell).

Traditionally a feminine name in Scandinavian culture, where these days it's mostly considered a grandmother name. Americans may associate it with Eivor Varinsdottir, a character from Assassain's Creed. She is likely the inspiration for the parents who gave this name to twelve boys and eight girls in 2022.

Not even for the child who wreaks havoc.

See AMIAS.

Simple, attractive, and worldly, would fit in with the Kierans and Kylans in the preschool class.

Son of Irving.

The Basque name, meaning shadow, has the virtue of having both an interesting meaning and an obvious pronunciation.

Has a sharp investigative quality that's not a bad thing to impart to a child.

Middle name possibility for a nature-loving family -- Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke used it for their son's middle name.

Laird is a Scottish title for the landed gentry – it ranks just below a Baron – with a pleasantly distinctive Scottish burr that must have appealed to Sharon Stone, who chose it for her son.